Ministry Updates and News from the Mehns
Tokyo continues to inch toward normality. In our local grocery store there was rice, prepared foods, toilet paper, but no bottled water due to the rush for it due to the increase of radioactivity in Tokyo’s tap water. Except for infants the water is reportedly safe to drink. Today it was announced that Tokyo’s tap water is safe for infants to drink. Thank God for this development and for calm among the people in Tokyo.…
Christian Relief Assistance, Support and Hope (CRASH) are coordinating relief intelligence, advanced teams, volunteer training, and distribution of relief supplies. Using networks of local Japanese church contacts, CRASH Japan teams are getting aid to people and gathering valuable information for future teams. Assessment teams consisting of CRASH Japan and partnering international organizations have been able to see for themselves the challenge ahead for Japan. “It’s a logistical nightmare up there,” said Joe Wilkey, Executive Director…
The Disaster Relief Commission of the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA) met at CRASH Love-To-Japan headquarters to discuss moving forward from rescue to recovery. Director, Jonathan Wilson, asked for the continued support of over 1800 churches represented by the JEA. [Japan has about 8,000 Protestant churches] Ken Taylor, Vice President of the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA), shared with the commission how their missionaries have combined their relief efforts through CRASH Japan. CRASH Japan is becoming…
Just heard a call from Jeff Chapman, Converge Worldwide missionary, that Jeff finally found his warm clothes, they had a good night’s rest, breakfast of rice and oranges, and they are nearly ready to depart this morning. They leave Sendai realizing many churches still do not have water service. They have decided not to go to Ishinomaki, as they had planned. It seems that CRASH, as well as many other relief organizations, have already made…
There are many ways to help Japan right now you can pray and specific requests are listed at this site you can come to Japan to serve hands on. More information listed here. you can give generously and compassionately. Here is how you can give through Converge Worldwide. Japan Disaster Relief from Converge Worldwide on Vimeo. Converge Worldwide has already given funds to CRASH Love-On-Japan. Any further gifts will go to organizations like CRASH that…
UPDATE We arrived safely in Machida late this afternoon. Thanks for praying as the trip was very uneventful and we were pleased to find gasoline quite available in town. Arriving here means some challenges but not a week ago. PRAY that our ministry in the neighborhood would be revived. ——————————— We are heading back to Machida, Tokyo today (Wed Am). After being with our missionaries here in Nara, we realize it is God’s time for…
Jeff Chapman, Converge Worldwide missionary called me to report that two vans have gone ahead and their truck left later. They were slugging it through snow, and it is cold. They have also had to negotiate their trip as roads were closed due to new aftershocks, then reopened. He reports there were long lines for rationed gas but as they noticed they were relief workers they filled the truck up. They have arrived in Sendai,…
Jeff Chapman and the other 7 drivers have made it to Niigata on the west side of Japan overlooking the Japan Sea. The roads got pretty ‘dicey’ once they got into Niigata, as there is a lot of snow on the ground. (There is snow forecasted for the next few days up there). THANK God for the journey so far. None of the drivers in his group have made the trip before, so they need…
Tonight over 200,000 people remain in over 1,500 evacuation shelters. The death toll now tops 9,000 with over 12,000 people still missing. Today there was deep sadness as we heard that Taylor Anderson, an American English teacher from Virginia, was killed in the Tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Probably many of you had seen news of her parents and her friends concern after she went missing after the earthquake and tsunami. It seems she was…
– Severed roads are hampering rescue and supply delivery efforts. PRAY that the areas transportation will improve. – The lack of fuel supply means people do not have heat during this cold weather. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdjM9aE_jU&feature=player_embedded#at=104 PRAY that these shortages would end and people would be safe. – CRASH reports that they have lots of relief supplies available but are short of drivers and trucks. The 90 tons of supplies that arrived by plane the other day…